Establish an unrestricted named fund within our endowment, the Fund for Boston's Future. The assets will be used to support the Foundation's grantmaking, as we partner with organizations and initiatives that are meeting the most critical needs of the day. Willma Davis' bequest to the Fund for Boston's Future is unlocking opportunities for young people now and in the future.
Support your favorite causes by establishing a Field of Interest Fund. The income will benefit fields of interest you choose, such as education, social services, arts or others. The David R. Pokross Fund for Children in Need was established for “children growing up in need, as he himself had”, for organizations that provide for childhood enrichment, health care, safety, education and other programs for Greater Boston's children.
Support your favorite organization(s), through a Designated Fund that makes grants to the organizations you specify. The founder of education giant Curriculum Associates, Frank Ferguson's transformative gift to the Boston Foundation included the establishment of a series of Designated Funds to support nonprofit organizations across the country, alongside support for the Fund for Boston's Future.
No one knows what challenges lie decades ahead, but by converting your DAF to a legacy fund within the Fund for Boston's Future, your funds will adapt to the times and lead the way in partnership with other foundations, nonprofits and government. Converting part or all of your DAF ensures your philanthropic aims can continue, and your DAF succession plan can be changed at any time. If you have any questions about whether you have a succession plan on file, please let us know.
At the heart of everything the Boston Foundation has done over the last 100-plus years is its endowment, the Fund for Boston's Future. Established through bequests left by hundreds of forward-thinking Bostonians since 1917, this essential fund fuels the Foundation's work and provides resources that have sparked positive change and enabled new ideas. Within the Fund for Boston's Future, planned and legacy gifts can also establish a Field of Interest Fund that goes to support an issue you care passionately about, such as education or the arts.
Willma Davis was a woman of action driven by ideals. Born in Boston, she earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio State University and graduate degrees from Boston University and Northeastern. Education was deeply important to her, reflected in the establishment of the Willma Davis STEM Scholarship for Young Women in partnership with the United Negro College Fund. She was equally engaged in the arts, women’s issues and the pursuit of social justice. In addition to a full and successful career in business— including 26 years at John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. as a Senior Managing Director—Davis served on numerous boards and committees. In 1990, Ebony magazine included her in its list of 100 Best and Brightest Black Women in Corporate America.
When she passed away in 2021, her obituary noted, “Willma was generous with her time and resources. Her character was unwavering and her inspiration will live on.” Her $5 million bequest to the Fund for Boston's Future comes with the broad purpose of furthering education and health, arts and culture, neighborhoods and housing and jobs and economic development—all areas that are central to our guiding principle of advancing equity in our city and region. Through her generous legacy gift to TBF’s endowment, her legacy will benefit the Greater Boston community for many years to come.